Chapter 21: The Enemy of My Enemy

This is what power is. On the platform in Moscow, Akado felt the sublime wonder of power. The vast station platform was completely devoid of any so-called “unauthorized personnel.” The area had been completely cleared by the Soviet military. Even the other passengers on the train were required to wait a dozen minutes before they could disembark.

Therefore, there was no possibility of such a grand welcoming ceremony being leaked. Akado felt that if an investigation were to be conducted, even the girls presenting flowers were probably from poor peasant backgrounds with clean records for three generations.

By the time they got into the cars the Soviet military had sent to receive them, Gehr was still muttering at Akado’s side, “Good God! I feel like a national leader. The ceremony they held to welcome us was so enthusiastic. I’m starting to like this place!”

“The more enthusiastic they are, the more they must want something from you. If you agree to their requests and help them betray Germany’s interests, they might even award you a medal!” Akado said with a smile. “Of course, if you stand on Germany’s side, then it will be very difficult for you to enjoy such warm smiles as you did today.”

“Really? Then what should we do? Should we leave this place as soon as possible?” Gehr was quite frightened by Akado and said in a bit of a panic.

“Lieutenant Colonel Akado, you should stop scaring our Second Lieutenant Gehr. He’s still just a boy!” Block burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe they sent a boy with a large-caliber pistol to protect a lieutenant colonel. My God, that’s not funny at all,” Akado said with a deliberately serious expression, and then began to laugh as well.

“Lieutenant Colonel, you have a great sense of humor.” As the car moved, the Soviet officer driving turned his head slightly and said with a smile, “You are shouldering an important mission, but you don’t seem nervous at all. I have great admiration for soldiers like you.”

“You speak German?” Akado asked, a little embarrassed. It was obvious that the Soviet officer driving was speaking German—and very standard German at that.

“Of course, sir. Everyone on the platform just now, including the students presenting flowers, was selected for their ability to speak German. Comrade Stalin instructed that we must treat our friends from Germany with warmth and thoughtfulness,” the Soviet officer said very politely. “Lieutenant Colonel Akado Rudolph! Greetings! My name is Borowski, and I am also a lieutenant colonel. I also know English and French. You can call me Borov.”

Why do so many people know more than two foreign languages? Akado felt himself blushing a little. In his past life, his English wasn’t very good. He had to work extremely hard just to barely pass the Level 6 exam. It was just enough to handle a foreigner asking for directions, but for a long conversation, he would have to rely on hand gestures.

All these prodigies are aliens! After viciously complaining in his heart, Akado smiled politely. “Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Borov. You can also call me Lieutenant Colonel Akado!”

In the winter of 1921, the Soviet Union had no decent hotels to host Akado and his subordinates. In the Soviet capital of Moscow, there are seven famous landmark buildings—the high-rise towers built during the Stalin era in the 1950s, including the main building of Moscow State University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, the Hotel Ukraina, the Ministry of Transport building, the Leningradskaya Hotel, the Kudrinskaya Square Building, and the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building. Therefore, at this time, there were no decent buildings at these locations yet.

And so, Akado was brought before the most luxurious and classic building in the Soviet Union at that time: the Kremlin. In the era of the Iron Curtain, this place was the source of all evil that America feared so much, the most mysterious red core in the entire world. But before these intimidating titles were born, it was first and foremost a strategic objective that the German Reichswehr intended to capture.

Therefore, as a transmigrator preparing to defy fate for the Third Reich, Akado held not the slightest bit of awe for this place. He followed Lieutenant Colonel Borov up the steps, appearing gentle and elegant, with an air of a master strategist.

The banquet was not as grand as imagined. After all, a military band and flower-bearing students could be arranged with a single order, but preparing a good meal with good drinks, plus a bottle of aged red wine in the middle of winter—that cost money.

And this arrangement also made Akado and the others more comfortable. After all, besides Akado, neither Block nor Gehr was particularly fond of such intimidatingly large occasions.

“I imagine Lieutenant Colonel Borov has heard about the character of the German people. We are rigid, stubborn, serious, and solemn,” Akado said to Borov during the meal.

Borov nodded. “Of course. However, Lieutenant Colonel Akado, you give me the impression of being more like an American.”

Akado felt infinite disdain for Borov in his heart, because Borov seemed to think that the stubborn rigidity of a German combined with the clever wisdom of a Chinese person resulted in an American. He threw up his hands and said, “But I am still a German, and I would like the negotiations to begin as soon as possible! Because we are all running out of time!”

“Yes! I believe we are all short on time right now,” Borov said with a nod. “I will report to Comrade Stalin at once.”

At the end of 1921, Lenin’s health was already very poor, and he was almost unable to handle affairs. Therefore, many decision-making matters were handed over to Stalin. And Stalin, during this period, could be considered the de facto ruler of the entire Soviet red regime.

“I heard that Mr. Lenin has caught a cold. Has his condition improved?” Akado asked casually, deliberately concealing the fact that he knew Lenin was critically ill.

“Comrade Lenin is recuperating. I’m not too clear on the specific details. I hope he can recover as soon as possible,” Borov said, standing up. “I will go and report now. Please get some good rest today. I will have news for you tomorrow.”

“Then I will wait for your news,” Akado said politely, also rising.

It was a quiet and cold night. Akado thought about his past life, about that famous song “Moscow Nights.” If only he were in the suburbs, he could hum that song. What a wicked sense of humor he had. He wondered who would be representing the Soviets in tomorrow’s negotiations, if it would be any of those famous acquaintances from history.

The next morning, after breakfast, Akado met the Soviet military representative for this round of negotiations. As expected, it was a historical figure who couldn’t be more famous, the renowned Soviet general once known as the “Red Napoleon,” Mikhail Tukhachevsky.

At this time, Tukhachevsky had just stepped down as the commander of the Western Front and had just suppressed the Antonov rebellion in the Tambov region. He had been transferred back to the central government to serve as the head of the Red Army Military Academy. It could be said that he was at the height of his power and in high spirits.

“Let’s make this short! We have come this time seeking cooperation! We firmly believe in the saying ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ and we hope to cooperate with the Soviet authorities. The scope of cooperation is very broad, and I believe the content will be of great interest to you. Tell us your thoughts,” Akado said, getting straight to the point. He had no desire to waste a single second now, engaging in some ridiculous logic where the first to speak loses their advantage.

“What must we give? What will we receive?” Tukhachevsky was a general of great foresight. As the current head of the Red Army Military Academy, he was already a Corps Commander in the Soviet regime. Because of his bravery in battle and remarkable military achievements, he was a trusted figure of power in the Soviet army, favored by Lenin and others. In the Soviet military reorganization of 1924, he created modern units such as the Soviet armored corps and paratroopers. He also championed the development of the famous Soviet T-34 tank in 1931 and began to take an interest in the development of jet engines as early as 1932. He was one of the few fearsome, strategically-minded generals in the Soviet army that Akado knew of.

What was even more frustrating was that Akado relied on accurate information about the future and his prescient abilities to achieve his current status, while this future Soviet marshal was only just 28 years old—a true military genius.

This genius did not speak much. After listening to Akado, he said just that one sentence, then stared at Akado intently, as if waiting for him to answer his question.

“Germany can help the Soviet Union build its own heavy industry, including the arms industry and the steel industry. We can provide the most advanced machine tools and equipment in all of Europe, and perhaps the entire world,” Akado said with great pride. This statement carried far more weight than the claims of “reaching advanced world levels” made by a certain country in the news eighty years later.

“Very good! We are indeed in great need of technical support! If Germany can provide truly viable technical assistance, then the Soviet Union will provide all conveniences within Soviet territory for our German friends,” Tukhachevsky said after some thought. “Tell me what you want.”

“We need the Soviet military to provide sites for the Reichswehr to conduct training and exercises, and to be responsible for maintaining secrecy for us. We will open factories in the Soviet Union to produce artillery and reconnaissance aircraft. After our cooperation ends, all these facilities will belong to the Soviet Union. And during the cooperation, we welcome the Soviet Union to send personnel to these factories to study and work,” Akado said with a smile.

“No problem. I will facilitate this cooperation. Including the Vodka Plan to transport arms to China, which you initiated a few days ago, it will all be seriously executed and protected,” Tukhachevsky said.

“For the next three days, I hope the military can allow me to visit the Soviet Union’s industrial facilities. I need to understand my partner in order to cooperate better,” Akado added after some thought.

“You may! I will arrange for our comrades to accompany you on your tour! Although our industrial base is weak, we still have some things we can show off,” Tukhachevsky also thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

“A pleasure cooperating with you, Corps Commander Tukhachevsky,” Akado said, rising and extending his hand.

Tukhachevsky smiled and extended his own hand, shaking Akado’s. “The German Reichswehr is truly fortunate to have a talent like you! Perhaps in ten years, you will give your French rivals quite a scare.”

Not just a scare for the French. In a dozen or so years, you even gave a scare to the Stalin who had you killed, Akado thought wickedly.